“‘Let me see who this is’ … I had never really paid attention to gymnastics, so it piqued my curiosity,” quipped Jonathan Owens on “The Pivot” podcast last year, reminiscing about how he and Simone Biles first crossed paths on the dating app Raya back in 2020. Fast forward four years, and now Owens is Simone’s biggest fan and loudest cheerleader. The Chicago Bears safety has been spotted at every one of her gymnastics competitions in 2024, gearing himself up as she heads to the Paris Olympics.
Speaking about his newfound love for the sport and his awe of his wife—the most decorated gymnast ever—Owens told Us Weekly in an interview, “Still got some stuff to figure out with the team, but hopefully everyone understands. Obviously I would love to be out there and support my wife.” Jonathan Owens continued, “I haven’t missed a competition yet this year just because I like going out there and watching and everything. And I definitely will say I’m a gymnastics guy now.”
During the interview on “Pivot,” Jonathan Owens opened up about the early days of his relationship with Simone Biles. The Chicago Bears safety, then playing for the Houston Texans, recounted how he swiped on Biles on a dating app and discovered they were a match. After hitting the gym, he returned to find likes on his Instagram, courtesy of Biles. At first, Owens couldn’t believe his luck, seeing Biles’ massive following. When they started texting, he joked, “Man, this gotta be fake.”
Owens even remembered asking Simone Biles who her competition was, to which she coolly replied, “Myself.” He realized just how famous she was when they were out and about and people couldn’t help but gawk at her. He shared, “It was all these moms and they’re there with their kids and we walked past and everybody stopped and just — kids were just shaking, like, ‘Oh, my God,’” Owens said, still amused.
He was even more surprised when people asked him to take pictures of them with Simone Biles, realizing she was the real deal. Owens had even mentioned how, during the Olympics, he was in training camp without access to NBC or the Olympics Channel, which made him miss watching her win live. But despite those early moments of not knowing Biles’ celebrity and keeping up with the sport, let’s see how Owens has done a complete 180 as Biles heads into her third Olympics.
From not knowing Simone Biles to Jonathan Owens keeping scores like a pro
This year at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, while Simone Biles dominated the AA standings, clinching her ninth national title, Jonathan Owens was spotted furiously jotting down notes. Nellie Biles, Simone’s mom, has the habit of diligently recording scores, especially since not all scores are displayed on the scoreboards. Inspired by Biles’ parents, who quietly record scores during competitions, Jonathan took on the task himself. Biles shared with Gymnastics Now how Jonathan’s curiosity led him to fully immerse himself in the gymnastics world.
